1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bumper hitch including a mounting plate for mounting from the outer face of a vehicle bumper in the usual mounting location of the vehicle license plate. The mounting plate is supported from the bumper in slightly spaced relation and includes structure for mounting a license plate therefrom overlying the outer face of the mounting plate. The hitch further includes a support plate including remote channel portions opening toward each other and slidingly engageable with corresponding remote marginal portions of the mounting plate for support of the support plate from the mounting plate in overlying relation relative to the license plate supported therefrom. The support plate includes a tow hitch mounted therefrom projecting outwardly of its outer face and structure is provided for releasably preventing shifting of the support plate from supported engagement with the mounting plate. Although the hitch may be used on the rear of a vehicle its primary use will be on the front of a vehicle when maneuvering a trailer through close quarters and in an off-road situation in which visibility of the front license plate of the vehicle being obscured by the support plate of the hitch is unimportant.
2. Description of Related Art
Various different forms of trailer hitches heretofore have been provided including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention and including at least a few designed for use on the front of a vehicle. However, these previously known forms of trailer hitches are not of a type wherein the hitch element feature thereof may be quickly removed to expose an underlying license plate and to give very little appearance of any portion of a trailer hitch when the hitch member support plate is removed and stored within the associated vehicle.
Examples of previously known trailer hitches incorporating some of the features of the instant invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,622,892, 2,840,392, 3,716,255, 3,741,588, 3,885,817, 4,204,701 and 4,266,799.
However, these previously known forms of hitches do not include the overall combination of structural features of the instant invention which enable a trailer hitch ball to be readily removably supported from the front bumper of a vehicle in the usual location of the license plate of the vehicle and without requiring removal of the license plate.